The SACP Wants To Contest Elections Alone And Will Tell The ANC On Monday

The SACP says it will meet with the ANC to communicate its decision.

It's official. The SACP on Monday plans to break its news to the ANC that it has decided to contest future elections, and it will also reiterate its call for President Jacob Zuma to step down, Business Day reported.

Deputy general-secretary Solly Mapaila reportedly told Business Day the party had asked for a meeting with the ANC on Monday to communicate decisions taken at its congress. The SA Communist Party also wants to tell the ANC that Zuma stepping down would be a "contribution towards finding solutions to the challenges" facing the tripartite alliance.

The SACP's top leadership met at the weekend where the decision –-taken at its recent congress -- to contest the elections, was reportedly cemented.

On Sunday, the SACP said it would work on a "popular front" of working-class formations and would also working on building a "patriotic front" aimed at defending the country against state capture.

According to Business Day, SACP secretary-general Blade Nzimande said the foundations for this front were laid at a conference in April where ANC stalwarts, Umkhonto weSizwe council members and members of Business Unity SA were present.

Meanwhile, Nzimande on Sunday reiterated its call for the judicial commission of inquiry into state capture to start, and warned that the South African Reserve Bank and other banks needed to act quickly "before billions more rands of public resources disappear to Dubai", News24 reported.

"Where there are clear-cut, prima facie cases of wrongdoing, the criminal justice institutions must move with urgency and determination, without which more billions of rand of public money will continue be spirited out of our country to Dubai and other off-shore locations," he said.

"We are concerned that everybody agrees about the commission, including the President [Jacob Zuma]. It is one of the things we will have to discuss with the ANC, as to how far the establishment of the judicial commission is.

"We cannot be talking about a commission forever and there is no movement on the issue."